My name is Marion Vermazen. I am a renaissance woman working full time to live, to love, to learn, to be useful, and to be interesting.

March 2008

March 28, 2008

Last November I wrote a blog about what it is like to live in Sierra Canyon a Del Webb's over 55 active adult community in Reno. Today I got a comment on my posting asking about the weather here. Shirley, the commenter is from Washington state near the Canadian border. She asked about snow, cold, heat and dreariness. Here is my reply to her.

I
suspect you would really like Sierra Canyon. You asked about snow. It
really is not bad at all. This is my first winter in Reno but
apparently we have had a lot more snow than usual this year and it
doesn't seem like all that much to me. I think we have had 5 or 6
snowstorms and the snow has melted in between them.To me we had just about the right amount of snow. We had the beautiful snow
experience but it didn't last or block the roads for very long.

If you haven't picked a house here yet you might consider getting a
south facing driveway. It had never occurred to me but
the snow melts in our south facing front yard much faster than it melts
on the yards across the street from us. It is amazing to drive down our
street a couple of days after a snow storm. The yards on the right have
no snow and the yards and driveways on the left still look like winter
with lots of ice and snow.

It gets cold here but it is nothing like living in the midwest. We
spent quite a bit of time in Iowa this winter and there is a big
difference between temperatures in the 20s and 30s like we have in
Reno and temperatures around zero like we experienced in Iowa.

You asked whether it is gloomy here. Just the opposite. Reno is
high desert and as a result we have a lot of very sunny days. It is one
of the things I really like about living here. Because it is desert it is also very dry here. We run a humidifier quite
often. Living in a wetter climate like
Washington means that because ] it is wet it is very green. I suspect that
the thing you would miss most about Washington is the beautiful lush
green vegetation. If I was picking a color to describe western
Washington it would be green. My color for Nevada would be brown.

You may wonder about all the snow in my snowshoeing pictures. We
are right up against the east side of the Sierras. Most of the moisture
from the Pacific hits the Sierras and is dropped on the west side of
the mountains. If you drive 30 miles west from here there is still a
lot of snow. Here there is none.

One other thing about the weather in Reno that you didn't ask about
is the wind. Especially where Sierra Canyon is situated right up
against the mountains we get a lot of wind. I kind of like it but I
know it drives some people crazy.

I am probably not a good person to ask about the heat in the
summer. We didn't move up here until the beginning of July and I didn't
start living here until late August. I spent a good part of last summer
taking care of my Mom who died a the end of July. My husband Duke says
that there were very few days that he turned on the air conditioner.
These houses are VERY well insulated. Don't get me wrong, Reno can have
very hot weather but as I understand it extreme heat is not the norm. I
think there is a big difference between Las Vegas and Reno. We are more
than 400 miles farther north.

Weather can make a big difference to your state of mind.
But I think the gorgeous scenery and the abundance of bright sunny
days make Reno a great place to live.

March 26, 2008

Last Monday six of us from the Sierra Canyon Snowshoeing group tried to go to Galena Falls from Mt Rose Trail head. As you can see in the pictures there was a lot of snow. There was also no trail to follow so we could not find Galena Falls. It was one of the hardest trips we have done because we were walking across very steep slopes which meant we all fell multiple times. My ankles were getting a work out too. In spite of the hard work it was a beautiful day. Being outside in such beautiful country is good for my soul.

March 20, 2008

Yesterday I competed in the snow shoe race for the Reno Winter Senior Games. The race was over a 5km course at Northstar Ski Resort. We went pretty much up hill through the trees for the first half of the race and down hill for the second half. I finished the race in 56.08 minutes which was fourth overall and first in my age group (55-60). Of course there were only 12 people participating in the race and I was the only one in my age group. I think next year they will promote the event more so that they have more participants. I had a lot of fun and I plan to do it again next year.

March 18, 2008

If you are ever driving highway 80 between Truckee and Sacramento and want a really nice meal you should take the Rainbow exit and stop at the Rainbow Lodge. I had lunch there today with my friend Linda. Rainbow Lodge is about half way between her house and mine. Their website describes Rainbow Lodge as "our enchanting Bed and Breakfast built in the 1920's alongside a bend
in the Yuba River. Come marvel at the original stone and woodwork,
wonder at the historical photographs, savor our French-trained Chef's
sumptuous cooking and doze by a freshly stoked fire. " The restaurant is cozy and the food is great. I especially love the hand hued beams, the rock walls, and the real fire in the fireplace in the lobby. I've been there several times and I've enjoyed it every time.

On the way back to Reno over Donner Pass I stopped at the scenic overlook by Donner Lake and took some pictures of the snow shed that were used for the trains. Now the trains go through a big tunnel and the tunnels are no longer used. You may remember we hiked through them this past summer.

Sunday I tried to find a geocache that I am sure is supposed to be in this old car but I didn't find it. It was still a fun short hike.